I won!!

Well, I made my second trip to the MP Mountain today. The first time I noticed that it was really nice woods. I ended up finding some sign...a lot of poop...some that were big and clumpy, some nice trails and saw a few does too. I went back again today with the range finder and the spot is just shy of legal...I may end up going there anyway...we'll see what the season brings. I think I'm still going to go to the old place to hang the feeder, but I'll keep this one in mind to just jump in some evenings. It looks promising.

Now on to the "I won!" part of the heading...I won 9 pounds of Whitetail Institute Imperial food plot from Talk Hunting.com!! How cool is that! I don't know if I'll use it, but it sure is nice that I actually won something!! How great!!

Went to the club

Went to the club today to meet up with Tony and Greg. I thought we were just going to meet and pay, but it turned out to be a work party. Greg, Tony, Bob and Brad were also there. When I got there I learned that all the feeders were vandalized. Some one came along and took all the chargers and feeder units. We cut out 10 and made it a real nice stand and put a feeder there. Bob will be getting new parts and getting them running again. Then we went into the old pit. I didn't even know that was there, but it was really nice. Then we went to 11 and made that nice. They worked on 3 before I got there. Then up to 12 but we left that alone. We'll probably take that down. We also cut out around the big feeder. Then up to the other side of the other pit where I muzzleloader hunted. Trimmed up there and took the feeder. That was it, then we left. It took about 4 hours to do all that. It was actually a lot of fun...loved being out in the woods again!

Took a walk yesterday...

I took a walk behind the Recycling center yesterday looking for a spot to hang the feeder. Unfortunatley, that fat guy has the perfect spot...I can't go anywhere around him without being too close to him. I may walk with my ranger finder in a bit to see if I can get far enough away from him, far enough from the houses and still cut off where I know the deer could come from. The only spot that I did find that was far enough away from him I'm not sure if the deer go to. It's on the hill right near the dump...The leaves look like they were walked on there but I didn't see any true sign. I'll have to visit a few more times. I also emailed Ed to see if there were any new properties opened to us. It would also help if this stupid state would pass the 150 rule too.

New toys

I know that I haven't updated in a long time...but nothing's really happened (hunting wise) since turkey season. I did receive some "toys" in the mail though. I bought a new hunting knife, I got the buck 110 Alaskan Guide series. I also got a ground blind that I set up last night...that looks like fun. I got a new safety vest that I tried on, really easy to use. I also bought a new gambrel and hoist, some hats, belts, other assorted knick knacks. I am still waiting on purchasing the new brush pants, a beeper for bacci, a feeder, new boots, and a new vest for bacci. I'll make those purchases before the season.

Last turkey day...

Ok, well today was the last day for turkey for me. It was an interesting one. First of all, the weather was outstanding. It was a bit chilly in the morning (perhaps upper 30's, lower 40's) but it warmed up really nicely during the day. I started the day by Bob's stand...I heard a whole lot of gobbling from the mountain and there was a strange sounding gobble that seemed to be coming from near the Cadillac stand. I assumed it was Bob or a tresspasser calling the gobblers up on the hill. After calling there a while I moved to the bottom and walked up from stand 13. I sat there for a while, enjoying the sun and not hearing anything. After a while I drove to the Cadillac side and set up. I called for a while and heard one strange gobble. I sat and called on and off for about 45 minutes and nothing. I then heard that strange gobble again...didn't sound close but didn't sound too far either. I decided to move to the field and try to swing around and get closer. I walked into the edge of the field and DANG! there was a gobbler!! He walked out from the hedgerow about 60 yards from me. He was PROBABLY heading down towards me...and he was limping...maybe that's why he had a screwey gobble. I walked REALLY slowly through the field...he stayed a step ahead of me but it took me about a half hour to cross the field. I got close enough for a shot through the brush and took it...he ran off and then flew off. I didn't find him again. FRAK! I stink at turkey hunting.

Turkey - Day two

What a difference a day makes. Today, it was 44 degrees when I was starting out. I went again to the cadillac stand and this time, in the dark, there was a gobbler gobbling from the pines right at the end of cadillac. I quietly slipped in the woods in the dark (didnt use my flashlight) and sat until it was light enough to see. The gobbler kept on going...calling again and again. I made some tree yelps. Once or twice he answered me back and then I heard him getting farther and farther away. I got up and moved to the end of the field. I called and sat there for a while but I didn't see anything and he didn't call back again. Darn!! I then made my way to 13 and called up and down the hedgrow. When I got to the top of the hill I had two deer come in and look at the decoy. The first deer was stomping and snorting...she didn't like my deek one bit! After a while, from the corner of my eye I saw a hen pop into the field, about 50 yards away from me. I never expected her to come from where she came from. After a while I went to the back cow pasture again and then along the back by the cemetary. Nothing...Bob wasn't there this time. I don't know why that Gobbler decided to walk opposite of where I was calling. Why do I like turkey hunting?

Turkey - Day one

It was coooold this morning. When I started out my truck said that it was 26...that's cold for turkey. I started out by the Cadillac stand and I did manage to hear some gobbling from across the road. I didn't get them down to me though. I next went to the field that's at the end of the Cadillac. When I got there I had to climb over a mountain of dirt and once I cleared the mound, there was a hen on the other side tucked into the hedgrow. Well, needless to say, I scared her and she scared me and both of us went our separate ways. I tucked myself into the hedgerow and called...the sun was now shining and it was warming up a bit. It was windy though. Nuthin...I moved down along the backside and worked my way around the cow pasture, still nothing... I then went to stand 13 and there was another hen tucked into the brush. I called up and down the edge and nuthing. I saw Bob there so I didn't want to get too close, he was in the big feeder field. I went down the path near 5 and worked around back there, nothing. It was now 11:30. It was a nice day even though I didn't really see anything.